Artificial sphincter apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

An artificial sphincter apparatus and method, the artificial sphincter including a pair of parallel, coaxially mounted rings with at least one ring rotatable relative to the other. Optionally the rings are capable of being split open at their circumference and reclosed for mounting about a living tissue conduit for which surgical severing is not recommended. A plurality of circumferentially mounted tie members extend between the rings and are drawn laterally toward the center of the sphincter, narrowing a passageway therethrough, upon relative rotation between the rings. This action is capable of gently constricting a living tissue conduit within the passageway using a combination of rotational and circumferentially localized discrete radially compressive forces to control the flow of biological materials within the living tissue conduit. A cell impervious thin flexible tubular membrane envelopes the sphincter to isolate it from the immediate environment. The membrane has a central waist portion which fits within the openings in the rings and ends which fold outwardly around the sphincter for sealing together at the outer circumference thereof. In one embodiment of the invention such a membrane, when provided with compliant folds in the central waist portion thereof, replaces the plurality of tie members as a closure means for narrowing the passageway through the sphincter. Operation of the artificial sphincter after its implantation is effected by a number of disclosed remote and proximate actuation means.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 367,533 filed Apr. 12, 1982, and issued on Nov. 19, 1985, as U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,271, which is itself a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 194,528 filed Oct. 6, 1980, now abandoned, as to both of which one of the joint inventors named herein was the named applicant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a constriction apparatus and method having application in the medical arts, and more particularly to an artificial sphincter capable of gently constricting a living tissue conduit to control the flow of biological materials therein without causing damage to living tissue of the conduit. Constriction of the living conduit is achieved in the apparatus and method of this invention through a combination of rotational and localized discrete radially compressive forces.

2. The Background Art

In the field of medical research and health care delivery, it is frequently necessary to clamp a living tissue conduit or otherwise stop the flow of biological materials (such as blood, urine, or stool) through such a conduit. Clamps which are well-known in the art generally involve two jaw members which transversely crimp the vessel to shut off the flow therein. It is also well known, however, that such vessels, have irregular wall thicknesses and corresponding irregularities in the inner wall surface. Thus a clamp having jaws which move with a parallel clamping action must clamp the vessel tightly enough to seal the thinnest portion of the irregular wall surface in order to prevent leakage past the clamp. Accordingly, if a conventional clamp of this type is used for a significant period of time, pressure necrosis of the underlying living tissue of the vessel results.

While many procedures have been adapted to alleviate this particular problem, it would be a significant advancement in the art to provide a constriction apparatus and method for gently constricting the flow of biological materials through a living tissue conduit which minimizes the changes of damaging the living tissue of such a vessel through pressure necrosis. Numerous applications call for a constricting movement, such as that present in a sphincter-type muscle, wherein muscular constriction radially narrows an open structure. Various other flow control devices could also benefit from axially oriented constricting movement.

A constriction or crimping apparatus disclosed in Falconer (U.S. Pat. No. 2,569,850) includes a plurality of rods mounted circumferentially around an axial opening parallel the axis thereof. A tube inserted in the opening is crimped by twisting the rods about the axis. Other constricting devices are shown in the patents of Colley (U.S. Pat. No. 2,434,835); Carlson, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,010); and Kingsford (U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,848). These devices, however, use entirely different operative mechanisms from that of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention involve a constriction apparatus which employs the basic principle of a sphincter-type muscle. The apparatus includes two, parallel and axially mounted rings interconnected by a plurality of annularly arrayed tie members extending between the two rings. The rings may optionally be afforded with structure permitting them to be split open at their circumference and closed again to facilitate encirclement of a living tissue conduit of the type which should not be surgically severed when implanting the apparatus. Relative rotation between the rings causes the tie members to be angularly and tangentially brought toward the axis of the constriction apparatus. The type and length of the tie members and the spatial separation and diameter of the rings determines the characteristics of the constricting force imparted by the apparatus.

In addition, the artificial sphincter of the present invention includes structure which facilitates successful implantation and long term operation of such a device. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention as embodied and broadly described herein, an artificial sphincter is provided with a cell-impervious means for isolating the device from its surrounding environment. A thin flexible tubular membrane having a narrowed central portion dimensioned to fit within the central opening of the artificial sphincter is provided in addition with radially flared end portions for wrapping about the artificial sphincter and sealing to each other at the outer circumference of the device. The walls of the narrowed central portion of the membrane are formed into a plurality of compliant folds which permit a limited amount of rotation of either end of the membrane without producing significant tension in the walls of the central portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, a thin flexible tubular membrane is disclosed which serves to replace the tie members described above for gently constricting a living tissue conduit with a combination of rotational and circumferentially localized discrete radially compressive forces. Each of the radially flared end portions of the membrane are attached to one of the two rotatable rings to obtain this result.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, actuator means are provided for rotating the two rings relative to one another using controls remote from or proximate to the device once implanted. As provided in various embodiments of the present invention, such actuation means include, for example, remote cable and remote hydraulic actuation, as well as a means for actuating the device through its direct manipulation after subcutaneous implantation.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for gently constricting a living tissue conduit such that flow of biological materials with the living tissue conduit may be controlled without causing significant pressure necrosis to the living tissue of the conduit.

An additional objective of the present invention is to provide an improved artificial sphincter as described above which is capable of use to constrict a living tissue conduit which is not symmetrical or which should not be surgically severed when implanting the artificial sphincter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an artificial sphincter which constricts a living tissue conduit to control the flow of biological materials therewithin through the application thereto of a combination of rotational and circumferentially localized discrete radially compressive forces.

One object of this invention is to provide a constriction apparatus wherein the quality of the constricting force may be selectively predetermined through the selection of a variety of device parameters.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a novel constriction apparatus wherein the area of constriction may be determined by selection of the diameter and spatial separation of the two ring members.

Another object of this invention is to provide an artificial sphincter suitable for implantation by virtue of its being isolated from the surrounding environment in a cell-impervious membrane which prevents cell intrusion or growth into the device and fouling of its operating mechanisms.

Another objective is to provide an artificial sphincter having the operative mechanisms thereof activated either through direct manipulation of the implanted device or through use of control means remote from the site of implantation.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combination particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the constriction apparatus of this invention with a portion broken away and an enlarged detail view to reveal internal construction;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 showing a relative rotation of the rings to illustrate the orientation and constricting movement of the tie members thus obtained;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the constriction apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an artificial sphincter incorporating the apparatus of this invention, portions being broken away to reveal internal construction;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlargement of a portion of FIG. 5 showing a portion of a finger in order to demonstrate operation of one method of actuating the embodiment of the artificial sphincter shown;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of major components of yet another embodiment of an artificial sphincter according to the present invention in which some components have been broken away to reveal internal details;

FIGS. 9A-9D are a sequence of plan view of the device of FIG. 8 illustrating operation of that device;

FIG. 10 is an elevation view of a mandrel used to fabricate a suitable membrane for enveloping the device shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the mandrel shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a membrane fabricated using the mandrel of FIGS. 10 and 11;

FIGS. 13A-13D are a sequence of perspective views of the membrane of FIG. 12 enclosing the device of FIG. 8 with components thereof in positions corresponding to FIGS. 9A-9D;

FIG. 14 is a sectional plan view taken along line 14--14 of FIG. 13C;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment of an artificial sphincter according to the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a sectional elevation view taken along line 16--16 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a plan view in partial section of a first means for actuating a device according to the present invention;

additional ring near the bottom. Some nets have a hinged disk or trap door at the medial band which is opened to place the fish into the basket and automatically closes to keep the fish from jumping out. If the net should slip out of the grasp of the fisherman or break loose from its attachment to the boat or dock, the metal mesh net will sink quite quickly. The fabric or twine type may float but if there are fish in the basket, then it would likely be dragged down into the water quite quickly. To remedy this, floatation collars for the fishing nets or baskets have been developed. Typical is the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,803 by Manguso in which a ring of buoyant material is placed around the top opening of the net and the mesh is draped over the ring and secured thereto in some fashion. Another device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,381,408 by Nishimura in which a buoyant disk is used as the trap door at the medial ring to keep the basket afloat. Still another floating fish basket is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,278 by Wolfe which similarly has a medially located buoyant closure. The Mohler U.S. Pat. No. 2,241,314 and Ruter U.S. Pat. No. 3,478,463 both utilize a buoyant ring attached around the upper opening of the fish net or basket to keep it afloat. Yet another device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,374 by Baxley which utilizes a cylindrical buoyant housing member which is attached to and extends upward from the top opening of the fishing net.

In the case of the buoyant rings around the opening, used in some of the prior art devices, if the basket should break loose it may float but the top edge would still be very close to the water level and possibly, especially if it contains a number of fish, could be dragged down below the level of the water and be difficult to spot or retrieve. The same is true where the buoyant device is at a medial location since the upper part of the net will still collapse so the similar problem could occur with a net of this nature should it break loose and float away. Also, in these cases, depending on the load of fish in the basket, the single ring or disk may not be buoyant enough to keep the basket afloat so that it can be spotted by the fisherman and retrieved. In the case of the cylindrical housing at the top of the net, the net could unsnap or unhook even partially from the housing without being observed and the fish could escape from the container.

A further drawback in all of the prior art devices is that for each size or shape of fishing net or basket, a different sized collar or housing or trap door or disk or the like has to be provided. In other words, a large opening fish net will have to have a larger diameter float ring or disk than a fish net with a smaller opening.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention provides a length of buoyant material which is coiled around the outside of the fishing net or basket from about the top opening or just below to form a floatation collar of any desired height or width. The ends of the coiled strip of material are removably attached to the net or basket. In this fashion, the size or shape of the fishing net or basket is of little concern since the length or strip of buoyant material can be wrapped around a conventional basket of virtually any size or shape. Further, the amount of buoyancy for the size of basket and possible load of fish can be selected by making the coil only a few turns or many turns, as desired. The coil around the outside of the fishing net then forms a neck which, if the net should break loose or fall from the grasp of the fisherman, will then extend substantially above the water surface so it will be easy to locate and retrieve. Furthermore, as an added feature, the buoyant material is brightly colored so that it makes it easier to see.

Preferably a wire-like tie is provided at each end of the strip of material to provide the means for attaching the strip to the net.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a fully extended collapsible fish net or basket incorporating an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the top portion of a fish basket showing in detail a manner of attachment of the buoyant material to the basket;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of an embodiment of the invention illustrating a manner of tieing an end of the buoyant material to the basket;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating the manner in which the buoyant material is wrapped around the upper end of the basket and attached to the top of the basket;

FIG. 5 illustrates another form of the length of buoyant material;

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a manner in which the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the fishing net; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a manner of attaching the tie member to the end of the strip shown in the FIG. 6 embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A conventional and commercially available fishing net or basket for holding fish in the water after they have been caught is designated by reference numeral 10 and is made of some suitable mesh material. Wire is usually preferred although twine or other fabrics can be used. The basket has an opening or mouth 11 at the top which may be defined by an encircling reinforcing ring or rim 12 preferably made out of stiff wire. Other supporting rings may be provided around the basket below the mouth 11 such as medial, ring 13 (FIG. 4) and ring 14 near the bottom of the basket. When not in use the basket collapses when placed on a supporting surface. In use the basket is generally fully extended as illustrated in FIG. 1 and when the fish are caught, they are placed into the mouth of the basket and kept captive within the confines of the basket while the basket is immersed in water and when lifted out of the water. A bail or handle 15 is generally attached to ring 12 at the top of the basket.

In accordance with the invention, the basket is provided with a buoyant collar generally identified by reference numeral 20. The collar 20 is formed by coiling a ropelike length of tubular, circular in cross-section, buoyant material 21 around the outside of the net starting just below the top or mouth 11 of the net and extending downward any desired distance. Any commercially available buoyant material can be used provided it is flexible enough to be wrapped around the basket and doesn't absorb water at a rate which would cause it to lose its buoyancy. Typically a foamed plastic material which is considerably lighter than water and which has no or a very low water absorption characteristic can be used.

To attach the buoyant collar, one end of the ropelike length of the tubular material 21 is attached to the fish basket mesh or to ring 12 and the material is wound around the outside of the fish net to form a coil, as best seen in FIG. 1, and the other end of the tubular material is attached to the fish net or to the intermediate ring 13 (FIG. 4). Alternatively, of course, it can be wound in the opposite direction by first attaching one end to ring 13 and then coiling it around the basket and then attaching the other end near or at the top opening.

Preferably the means for attaching the buoyant material 21 to the fish net or basket constitutes a twistable wire 22 which is imbedded axially in the tubular material and extends radially outward and is wrapped securely around the outside of the tubular material as shown at 23 in FIG. 3. The two ends of the tie extending axially out from the tubular material can then be easily and conveniently twisted around the mesh of the net or around ring 12 and/or ring 13 to hold the buoyant wrap in place. The ties can be easily untwisted to permit the buoyant material to be detached from the basket. Alternatively, a single twistable wire can be axially lengthwise embedded in the buoyant material and when the rope of buoyant material is cut at the desired length, the material can be stripped back to expose the ends of the wire which can then be used to attach the ends of the coil to the fish basket. If necessary, the tubular material can be attached to the fish basket net at intermediate locations on the coil by using twistable ties wrapped around the outside of the tubular material and twisted around the fishing net mesh.

Preferably the tubular material is brilliantly colored, yellow is preferred, so that if it should float away, it can be quickly spotted.

It can be observed that since the material which forms the floating collar is made from an elongated strip of material, it can be cut to length to accommodate any size fishing basket or net and the collar can be made any desired height or width. In accordance with the invention, conventional and commercially available fishing nets or baskets of various size and shapes can be conveniently provided with a floating collar so that fishermen who already have a collapsible fish net or basket need merely obtain a suitable length of buoyant material and wrap it around and attach it to the fish net as described and as taught by this invention.

As illustrated best in FIGS. 2 and 3, preferably the ends of the buoyant material are cut at a taper 25 so that they can be drawn up snugly against the basket. This eliminates the possibility of something catching on a protruding edge or corner of the end to pull the coil off or away from the basket.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate using a strip of buoyant material which is tubular or circular in cross-section. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the strip 21 can be an elongated band, i.e., rectangular in cross-section. Other cross-section shapes can be used for the strip of material provided they can be coiled around the fish net or basket.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the strip of buoyant material 30 is significantly wider than that illustrated in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-5 and is wide enough to form a buoyant collar when wrapped around the outside of the fishing basket 10 just below the top opening 11. Preferably the strip of material 30 is coiled to form multiple layers over the outside of the fishing net to provide the necessary buoyancy. A flexible wire-like tie member 31, similar to the tie member illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, is attached at each end of the strip 30 to enable the strip to be attached to the fishing basket 10. At the starting end of strip 30 the tie is wrapped around the mesh of the basket 10 as illustrated in FIG. 7 or can be tied to ring 12 and/or ring 13 (not shown). To attach the other end of the strip 30 to the basket it is necessary to either pierce holes through the inner layers of the wrapped coil or extend the ends of the tie 31 around the outside of the inner layers to reach the basket and/or the rings. 

I claim:
 1. A floatable live fish net comprising:an enclosure made of collapsible mesh material having a closed bottom and open top; a length of buoyant material wrapped around the outside of said enclosure to form a multiple winding coil partway between the top and the bottom of said enclosure; and means for attaching said coil of buoyant material to said enclosure.
 2. The invention as described in claim 10 wherein the ends of the length of tubular buoyant material are tapered to rest snugly against the outside of the enclosure.
 3. The invention as described in claim 1 wherein said attaching means includes:a length of pliable material extending out from the ends of said length of buoyant material for releasably securing said ends to said enclosure.
 4. The invention as described in claim 1 further including:a rigid ring around said enclosure located between the top and the bottom, and means for securing one end of said buoyant material to said ring and means for securing the other end of said buoyant material to said enclosure upward from said ring.
 5. The invention as described in claim 4 further including a rigid ring around the top opening of said enclosure, the other end of said buoyant material being secured to said top opening ring.
 6. The invention as described in claim 1 wherein said buoyant material is tubular.
 7. The invention as described in claim 1 wherein sais buoyant material is rectangular in cross-section. 